How do I ace 7/8 mark questions??

[gh971]

Hey ATAR Notes!!
I really struggle doing well in the longer response questions in biology exams and I was wondering if you had any tips or tricks on how to do well, even get full marks!
Thanks 

[mixel]

Hey ATAR Notes!!
I really struggle doing well in the longer response questions in biology exams and I was wondering if you had any tips or tricks on how to do well, even get full marks!
Thanks 

Hey, I also battle with long responses but I've found there are a few things you can do to make them easier 

1) Really think about the question. Underline key parts, find parts of the wording that allude to separate things that you can structure neatly into different sections of sentences / mini paragraphs. For example, this was an 8 marker in the 2016 HSC:

"Explain how the differences in these species could have arisen, using the Darwin/Wallace theory of evolution and your understanding of the adaptive advantage of haemoglobin."
This is combining a lot of different parts of the syllabus here, and when you read it with the syllabus in mind you see:
"Explain how the differences in these species could have arisen, using the Darwin/Wallace theory of evolution and your understanding of the adaptive advantage of haemoglobin". That gives you two distinct topics to base your response around, and with any luck you'll know a fair bit about both of these so you'll have a much easier time writing 8 marks worth of detail.


2) Base your response around the key verb -- we know that explain demands we "relate cause and effect", so if you were responding to the above question, write your separate points with the key verb in mind, making sure you don't merely outline or identify.


3) Plan them out. The markers are basically expecting an essay from you, which is super shitty, but like any other essay it's way easier if you plan it. Ask for some planning paper during the exam, and jot down a structured response to it, but don't spend too long because you still need to write the damned thing.

In the above question, for example, you're given two distinct areas essentially: Darwin/Wallace's theory of evolution, and the adaptive advantage of haemoglobin. They're from two very different parts of the syllabus, so your response will read better if you treat them separately (just make sure you relate them in your explanation of a certain scenario, as that's what the full question asks!).


4) You can make your response a lot more structured/logical starting with your first sentence -- for example, in the above question, you might start it as you would all Darwin/Wallace questions by defining the theory of natural selection to show from the start that you know what it is, and your response is based around it like how the question asks.

I hope that helps!

[Opengangs]

A bit late, but I still hope this information is useful

The key to structuring the longer responses comes back to practising these types of questions.
For the option topic, I'm doing Genetics, so I'll target towards those 7/8 markers.

Q: ‘Science is used to solve problems for the benefit of society.’

Justify this statement with reference to the scientific knowledge behind DNA technology, using ONE example from medicine and ONE from forensics. (7 marks) [2015 HSC: 34 e)]

In this question, they want you to justify. This means that they want you to make a conclusion based on the given stimulus.

Here's how I would break down the marks (doesn't mean it's the only way):

• 1 mark -- Identifies what DNA technology is
• 1 mark -- Identify an example from medicine (genetic engineering or Gene therapy)
• 1 mark -- Identify an example from forensics (DNA fingerprinting)
• 2 marks -- Discusses the benefits and limitations of both DNA technologies
• 1 mark -- Makes a conclusion, relating back to the stimulus
• 1 mark -- Sustains a response with scientific terminology

Furthermore, for a 7-8 marker, you can just break it up into multiple short answer questions, and just form it as one longer response.
Hopefully, this helps to clear things up!